


The Road

by delcatty



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canonical Character Death, F/M, First Dates, Gen, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Non-Canonical Character Death, Romance, Violence, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-09 04:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3235868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delcatty/pseuds/delcatty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—<br/>I took the one less traveled by,<br/>And that has made all the difference.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the more things change

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea what i'm doing i'm very sorry

“Did you hear? The Binge Eater has made an appearance in the twentieth ward,” Itori said. “She’s already on the CCG’s radar. Pretty bold of her, I think.”

“Let her do what she likes,” Uta responded. “We will have fun regardless.”

“The other clowns want to play with her,” Itori pouted. “I do, too. She might be the perfect heroine – like a lonesome woman against an entire organisation out to kill her for reasons unknown! It sounds just like a movie.”

“Perhaps,” he responded. “But you know how I prefer my entertainment.”

“Of course,” she drawled. Her wine glass tipped. “You’re all death and destruction and misery – how boring! I want to see a little romance every once and a while.”

“Romance, hm?” Uta responded.

“Yes!” the woman exclaimed. “A romance with a blushing girl and a pretty boy – what do you say?”

“Maybe,” he said. “But not with the Binge Eater. She’s better suited to a darker story.”

“Oh? Then who do you have in mind?”

Uta shrugged. “I have some people in mind, but I’m not sure yet.”

Itori smiled. “What kind of ending were you thinking of?”

“You’ve forgotten, Itori,” Uta murmured. “We only conduct the greatest tragedies.”

—

The woman walked into the café and Kirishima Touka could feel the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

“Don’t, Touka,” the manager warned as she clenched her fist. “She isn’t doing any harm.”

“You know she will, though,” Touka hissed, low enough to avoid suspicion. “She’s a bomb – everywhere she goes she inevitably creates a mess. Look at the other wards she’s been in – we can’t even go to the eleventh ward anymore because of her.”

“The state of the eleventh ward is hardly the fault of one woman, Touka,” the manager said gently. “We at Anteiku offer asylum to every person who needs it. Miss Kamishiro included.”

Touka fumed and forced herself to turn around and wait tables. She watched as Kamishiro Rize ordered a coffee from Irimi and pulled out a book, seemingly oblivious to the world around her.

“See ya, cutie!” a voice called out to her. Touka turned around as a blonde boy she was serving left, leaving his quieter companion behind. Touka forced a smile and a wave as he left.

“Touka,” Irimi called out to her moments later. “I’m going on my break now. Could you please take Miss Kamishiro her order?”

Touka nodded, and picked up the coffee.

As she walked past the table that sat the lonesome boy she noticed the book he was reading. As she neared Rize’s table, she saw that she was reading the same novel.

Touka saw Rize’s eyes flash up, a quick glance at the quiet boy, before darting away. Her book was raised to cover her mouth. Her lips twisted into a feral grin. Touka could see red and felt the blood rush from her head at the same time—

—and spilt Miss Kamishiro Rize’s coffee all over her white dress.

—

“So you’re going out with that girl?” Hide asked his best friend. “I guess people do get lucky sometimes…”

“Her name is Kirishima Touka,” Kaneki replied succinctly. “We’re going to a coffee shop. Ah, a different one than Anteiku. It’s going to be my first outing with a girl…”

“Don’t be so lame,” Hide laughed. “Call it a date.”

“I expected my first date to be to a bookstore,” Kaneki admitted nervously. “But maybe we can go there afterwards. Although I don’t know if Kirishima likes reading.”

“No one likes reading your books, Kaneki.” Hide teased. “Except that other girl – hey, did you end up talking to her?”

Kaneki shook his head. “I almost did, but Kirishima accidentally, ah, spilled the girl’s coffee. But then Kirishima started talking to me out of the blue! The girl ended up leaving before we finished – she was pretty angry. I don’t mind that I didn’t get to talk to her, though.”

“She was out of your league anyway, man,” Hide said with a grin, “Although Touka is totally cute, too.”

Kaneki flushed. “I know. She’s pretty young, though. Maybe I should get permission from her father…?”

Hide burst out laughing. “You sure are an old-fashioned guy, Kaneki. Maybe you should ask her brother, too?”

“I don’t know if she has a brother,” Kaneki mumbled, embarrassed. “I don’t know! She’s still in high school. Isn’t that weird?”

Hide shrugged. “Do what you want. I think Touka seems pretty mature, you should be okay.”

“I guess so.” Kaneki worried his lip. “I hope I don’t mess it up.”

—

“I don’t want to leave home, mama,” Hinami cried as her mother wrapped a scarf around her daughter’s shoulders as the cold night air drifted inside. “I want to stay here and wait for papa.”

Two suitcases lay at their feet as they stood in the doorway. The house was quiet and still in the middle of the night, the only sound to be heard was the little girl’s sobs. Her father hadn’t been home in months. The CCG were too close.

Fueguchi Ryouko smiled sadly. “I know, dear. But we can’t stay here, it’s not safe. We’ll be at Anteiku before you know—”

“—Actually,” a distorted voice interrupted from the darkness outside. “There’s been a change in plans.”

Ryouko stood up straight and pushed Hinami behind her. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“Ah, excuse my manners,” the voice replied as its owner stepped out of the shadows. “My name is Mado Kureo. I believe I killed your husband four months ago.”

Numerous other investigators appeared behind him, all holding disturbingly familiar weapons. The briefcase in Mado Kureo’s hand the most familiar.

Ryouko gasped as she turned and pushed Hinami further into the house, but not before the long and segmented quinque pierced through her stomach.

The force of the impact knocked both mother and daughter to the ground. Ryouko’s own kagune, half released, fell limp around Hinami.

“Mama…?” she whispered. Her mother gave no reply.

Unknown forceful hands pulled her mother’s corpse off of her and proceeded to pull Hinami off the ground.

“Now, now, monster,” Mado Kureo bent down and cooed to her. “No need for tears – we aren’t going to kill you.”

He reached out and grabbed her chin, and stared into her blood red eyes.

“We’re going to use you.”


	2. be careful what you wish for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road less travelled isn't as fair as it first appeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think everyone is going to show up eventually depending on the changed situation. tell me who you'd like to see next, maybe?

“You have a date?!” Yoriko exclaimed. “How amazing, Touka!” 

Touka watched as a few of her classmates turned around in their seats to stare at them. It was lunchtime so the classroom was mostly empty, but there were still people laughing under their breath. 

“Yoriko,” she whispered harshly. “Not so loud!” 

“Oops,” she replied, blushing. “Sorry! I’m just so excited for you. Is it someone from our school?” 

“God no,” Touka said scathingly and took a sip out of her can of coffee, “Like I’d date any of the boys here.” 

“They’re not so bad,” Yoriko murmured as she pushed her own lunch around. “Isamu confessed to me the other day. I think I’m going to accept.” 

“Are you gloating, Yoriko?” Touka teased. “Telling me about all the boys who fall over themselves for you?” 

Yoriko shook her head and waved her hands around. 

“Of course not, Touka!” she whined. “I just meant we could go on a double date or something, wouldn’t that be fun?” 

“Doubtful,” Touka muttered and finished the can off. “I don’t like Isamu.” 

“You don’t like anyone,” Yoriko countered, “and you need to eat more. Here, have some of my lunch – I don’t mind sharing.” 

Touka looked at her best friend’s lunch and barely stopped herself from grimacing. She had eaten some of Yoriko’s food yesterday too, and it still wasn’t sitting right with her. 

“It’s okay, I’m not feeling very well,” she replied truthfully. “You have it.” 

Yoriko pulled her lunch back with a pout. 

“If you’re not careful you’ll have me around at your work telling that manager of yours off!” she threatened. “I don’t care that he’s an old man, he’s meant to be your guardian. Make you eat your vegetables and stuff like that.” 

“Mr. Yoshimura is a good guardian,” Touka said with a smile. “I’m just feeling a bit off these days.” 

Yoriko huffed. “Fine, but make sure you eat on your date! You don’t want your new boyfriend to think you don’t appreciate his offer!” 

Touka flushed red and looked down. “Actually, I was the one who asked him out.” 

Yoriko gasped and nearly flung her bento off the desk. “No way!” she exclaimed as Touka saved her lunch. “Touka, you’re so brave!” 

“Be careful, Yoriko,” Touka scolded as she put the bento back. “It’s no big deal. He’s kind of a wimp anyway, so I took pity on him and just asked.” 

“How romantic,” Yoriko cooed. “What is he like anyway?” 

Touka shrugged. “I dunno. He likes books; I think he’s in university.” 

“Ooh, an older guy!” Yoriko exclaimed. “How scandalous – I wonder if his mother would be okay with him dating a high school girl.” 

“Who knows,” Touka replied as she traced patterns with her finger on the desk. The subject was tiring her. “I doubt I’ll be going on more than one date with him, so it’s not like it’ll matter. He seemed kind of weird, to be honest.” 

“Maybe he’ll surprise you,” Yoriko said. “You never know.” 

“Maybe…” 

“But make sure you think about that double date with me and Isamu! It would be totally fun!” 

“Pass.” 

— 

“Excuse me.” 

Hide spun around on his feet and found himself face to face with a surprisingly familiar pretty girl, who had stopped him in the street. 

“Oh, hey!” he exclaimed. “I know you, I think.” 

The girl smiled and giggled as she adjusted her bag. “Sort of,” she replied. “I notice that you’re always around a friend of yours – he has black hair, and he reads a lot.” 

Hide grinned. “That’s Kaneki.” 

“Kaneki,” the girl said slowly before smiling softly. “Do you think that you could maybe… introduce us? I tried to the other day, but ah, circumstances stopped us from meeting.” 

Hide tilted his head and considered, thinking about the cute waitress. “Hm, well, I’m not sure. I can see what he says?” 

The girl nodded. “Yes please. I know it’s a bit of a hassle for you, but I’d really appreciate it.” 

“No problem. I’ll just make sure it’s okay with him. Hey, do you have a number so I can contact you?” 

“Oh! Sure, give me your phone.” Hide handed his phone over to the girl and watched as she typed her number into it. “I’m sorry; I didn’t catch your name.” 

“Ah, sorry about that!” Hide said as he took his phone back. “It’s Nagachika Hideyoshi, but everyone calls me Hide.” 

The girl smiled, although he noticed it was a slightly sharper one than before. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hideyoshi. My name is Kamishiro Rize.” 

— 

“Sir, the subject is refusing to cooperate.” 

Mado Kureo usually didn’t have much to do with the ghouls after he brought them back to the CCG’s headquarters. Apart from some minor input into the quinque development as a field user, his job was almost entirely based around capturing the ghouls themselves. Once he had handed them over – if there was anything to hand over in the first place – he would continue onto the next task. 

“Is that so?” he mused. “Perhaps I should have a talk with the little thing then.” 

His involvement in this case was different, however. 

He threw a look at his briefcase – at Fueguchi One – and thought happily of the Fueguchi Two quinque that was being made right that second in the labs. He was very excited, but found himself even more excited to be having a part in the current interrogation of the daughter ghoul. 

The investigation room was a step up from the prisons they held the regular prisoners in. The walls were a blank white and the lack of light made simply seeing a struggle. There was a desk and one child occupying one chair, and another empty one. 

“Please, please, don’t hurt me, you don’t want me, I promise I don’t kill humans, I don’t like killing really—” 

“—subject number 745,” Mado interrupted. “You have caused quite a lot of trouble for us.” 

“Please don’t call me that,” the child ghoul cried. “Please don’t, my name is Hinami, my mama named me Hinami, my papa called me Hinami, _please_ let me go!” 

Mado ignored her. “The offspring of subject number 696 and subject number 723, a ghoul who takes the appearance of a young female child.” The child in question sobbed. “We received quite the tip about you.” 

“W-What?” the child stuttered as she rubbed the tears from her eyes. “What do you mean?” 

“Two nights ago we received an anonymous tip where very special ghoul was living, and that the CCG would be so pleased to get their hands on her,” Mado said simply. He fixed his eyes on her. “Is it true that you possess _two_ kagune? Because we would be very interested in that. Perhaps we could even strike a bargain.” 


	3. do not dwell in the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sassy frenemies rize and tsukiyama

Rize spent every morning at a different coffee shop in the 20th ward. She felt she received a diverse selection of coffee and a wide range of meals if she spread herself out equally. Although today’s café wasn’t one of her favourites, it did have a nice view of a park and it was close to the local university. 

Young men were her favourite after all. 

Her coffee was alright as well. Straight black with nothing else, it was going to serve well as an entrée to the main course. A young man across the shop snuck another look at her before his eyes darted back to his phone. Rize smiled coquettishly and looked down at her book, blushing. 

“Bonjour!” a voice cut through the peacefulness of the café. Rize could see the man across the room look up and then away. 

Tsukiyama Shuu sat down across from her. Rize sighed. 

“What do you want?” 

“Would you please tell me, mon cher, what has you so riled this lovely morning?” the Gourmet asked from opposite her. “You aren’t usually so prickly after eating.” 

Rize scowled. “Don’t try and test me, Tsukiyama. I’m not in the mood.” 

“Ah,” Tsukiyama said with a sly smile. “I suppose that’s the issue then – you _haven’t_ eaten. Quite unusual for you.” 

“Just like it’s unusual for you to be quiet,” she shot back with her own sharp smile, “and for your information, I was going to eat but was interrupted.” 

Tsukiyama faux gasped. “No, it couldn’t be. You were halted mid-meal?” He shook his head. “That is truly appalling.” 

“That waitress from Anteiku spilt her badly brewed coffee all over my dress and stopped me from making contact,” Rize said, ignoring him. “I’m just taking a detour now. I’ll eat him eventually.” 

“I don’t doubt you,” Tsukiyama replied. “You’re unattractively determined when you want to be.” 

Rize looked at him over the rim of her cup. “I’m not nearly as unattractive as you are, joining my morning tea without asking. How crass.” 

“Next time you feed I’ll take a picture and then you’ll see what crass looks like, mon cher.” 

Rize took a sip of her coffee and smiled sharply. “Why are you even here?” 

Tsukiyama sighed tiredly. “I did seek you out to invite you to an evening at the Restaurant, but I’m having second thoughts now. You’re so impolite and insensitive, you would bring the entire evening down.” 

“Your ridiculous costumes do that well enough without my presence,” she replied. “But I suppose I could make an appearance just this once.” 

Tsukiyama hummed. “Losing your last meal must have really gotten to you. You never agree to my invitations.” 

Rize finished off the last of her coffee and stood, her forgotten book bookmarked and closed in her hand. 

“He’s hardly lost,” she said coldly. “Kaneki Ken is still well within sights. I’m not letting that Kirishima brat get him.” 

With that, she walked across the café to the young man and smiled. 

— 

They met outside of Anteiku since it was easier, but it also meant that Kaneki had kept Touka waiting a good five minutes before he arrived. 

Touka could feel a headache forming already, hardly helped by the bustling morning rush and Koma wolf whistling at her every time she paid even the slightest bit of attention to him. 

“I’m sorry!” Kaneki gasped as he arrived. “I hope I’m not too late.” 

Touka shrugged. “Whatever.” 

“I, uh, I wasn’t sure where you’d like to go today,” Kaneki stammered and looked away. He could feel the blush creep up his neck. “We didn’t get a lot of time to talk the other day since you were working, but I figured we could go for a walk and see where it takes… us…” 

Touka raised an eyebrow at the human. She hadn’t exactly been on many dates in her life – just enough to keep up appearances – but she was pretty sure that a date didn’t usually consist of just walking around for no reason. 

“Shouldn’t we like, go to the movies or something?” she asked dully, her hands shoved in her pockets. “Isn’t that what first dates usually are?” 

“Well, I’d actually planned on going to a bookstore café.” Kaneki laughed nervously. “But then I thought, since you work at a café that probably isn’t the best idea. Unless you want to go to a café! Or a bookstore, or the movies… I don’t mind really.” 

Touka shrugged. “I haven’t been on many dates.” 

“I haven’t either,” he admitted. “But I’ve never liked the idea of movie dates. You don’t even get to talk to the person you’re with… it seems like a waste, because I want to get to know you, Touka.” 

Touka watched his stupid, smiling face for a few seconds before sighing. 

“Tch, don’t say such embarrassing things. I’m already on a date with you, so let’s go,” she said, turned around, and started walking. 

Kaneki smiled wider and ran to catch up with her. “Sure! Where do you want to go?” 

She looked up at him and shrugged lightly. “We can try that walking around thing and maybe talk a little. See where we end up.” 

Kaneki nodded and, blushing all the while, held out his hand. “Could I hold your hand, Touka?” 

Touka blushed deeply herself and swatted his hand away. “On the first date? Yeah right.” 

— 

“Where are we?” Hinami asked tentatively as a nameless investigator pushed her along. The cuffs that kept her hands securely behind her back and drained her energy were cutting into her skin, and she knew she wasn’t being taken to her cell to be relieved of them. 

The investigator said nothing in return for a moment before sighing. 

“Investigator Mado thought a little trip would make you more receptive to his offer,” they said dully. “So you’re being taken to Research and Development for a little field trip.” 

Hinami knew that rejecting the man’s – _Mado Kureo_ , like she would ever forget it – offer was dangerous considering her position, but her position wasn’t very good regardless of what she agreed to or not. It wasn’t as though there was anyone left to rescue her, or anyone to return to. 

Research and Development looked relatively normal, Hinami noticed. White and clean, almost like her father’s clinic. She bit back a shiver. 

“I’m here to take this one to room 11.” 

The man behind the desk raised an eyebrow and looked at her. He didn’t have the same warm, kind eyes as her father did at his clinic. 

“I’ll open the gate for you.” 

The room they led her to was less like a hospital room and more like a prison. 

There was a single man in the middle of the room. 

He was lying on his stomach on a slab that she guessed was meant to pass as a bed. From what she could see his emaciated chest was discoloured from bruising. The man shifted himself, and she saw raw wounds underneath as well. He had been there a while, then. He looked about as old as her father was. 

The investigator pushed her inside, not taking any notice as she fell forward. 

“I’ll be back later,” they said, and the heavy door shut behind her. 

Hinami took a moment to catch her breath before manoeuvring herself up and sitting without the use of her hands. She made a fist and realised that the cuffs had cut into her skin, leaving the familiar sticky feeling of blood on her hands. 

Once she was up, she could see that the man had turned his head to look at her. 

“Are you okay?” he asked her. “My sense of smell isn’t what it used to be, but I can still tell you’re bleeding.” 

Hinami watched the man carefully for a few moments before nodding. 

“That’s good,” the man murmured. “They’re quite rough, even with young girls.” 

Hinami didn’t reply, but observed the man carefully. 

There was a long and fierce scar right below his shoulder blades. 


	4. a rose by any other name

“Aren’t you going to get anything to eat?” Kaneki asked curiously as the waitress walked away. “There’s still a while until dinner time.”

Touka cleared her throat and looked away. The café they had ended up at was a bit more upscale than Anteiku – more like a casual restaurant than anything – but it was still amusing to her that they’d ended up there. After all of his assurances that they wouldn’t go to a café, they did anyway. 

“No, I’m okay. I’m, uh, not feeling well,” she lied, and realised that she had told Yoriko the same lie a day prior. “Coffee is fine.”

“If you say so,” Kaneki said and frowned. “But if you do want anything, I don’t mind.”

Touka shook her head. She should have just ordered something and claimed she was on a diet or something stupid like that. Now he was _worried_ , and worried humans were curious humans. 

“So, you like to read right?” she asked quickly. She could spot the same novel he had been reading at Anteiku poking out of his bag.

He nodded. “I do. My father loved to read, I think. He left me behind a lot of books when he died, so they sort of became the thing I remembered him by. It felt like we could connect because of it,” Kaneki said quietly as he looked down at his hands. 

Touka opened her mouth to say – say something, although she wasn’t sure what. But the waitress came back with their orders and Touka thought better of saying anything. Memories of her own father reading to her and her brother flashed through her mind.

“Do you read much, Touka?” Kaneki asked hopefully, if not a little sadly. 

Touka would have kicked herself if she could. It wasn’t as though she really liked the guy, but she hardly wanted him to be sad on a date. She wasn’t heartless.

“Um, not much, just when I have to for school,” she admitted as she picked up her coffee. “Although I know I don’t like classic novels. They’re too boring.”

Kaneki laughed. “Classical literature is an acquired taste. Even I can’t stomach it sometimes.” 

“It’s just so dreary,” Touka countered. “There’s enough bad in the world without having to read about it, too.”

“They were fond of their tragedies,” he replied. Touka watched as he took a bite out of his sandwich in distaste. “Shakespeare especially – even his romances are sad.”

“I can’t even understand what he’s saying half the time. Something about roses and flesh, I guess,” Touka muttered, and wondered for a moment if the writer had been a ghoul.

Kaneki laughed. “Sounds like those ghouls you always hear about on television.”

“Haha, yeah…” Touka mumbled, and fought the urge to show her unease, although it must have shown regardless.

“Are you okay? If you’re hungry, I don’t mind getting you something – the cakes look pretty nice, if you have a sweet tooth…” Kaneki blurted out, concern written all over his face. 

“No, no!” Touka rushed to say. She picked up her coffee and took a large sip. “I’m okay, I promise, nothing to worry about.” 

She vaguely realised that the date was hardly going well – not that she expected it to. Most of the time, any date she went on went badly because she spent the entire time being as unappealing as possible. One date was enough to convince her class she was human, but any more than that put her personally at risk. She usually didn’t care when her date left looking disappointed. 

But for some reason, the thought of Kaneki Ken – with his shy laugh and weird smile and overwhelming concern for her wellbeing – the idea of him leaving their date feeling sad just didn’t sit right with her.

“Hey, Touka,” Kaneki said quietly. He was looking down at his lap, and she could see a blush on his cheeks. “I know you’re not feeling well, and that you probably don’t really want to be on this date with me anyway, but I just want to say that I—” Kaneki looked up and her and smiled, “—I’m having a great time with you.”

Isn’t that funny, Touka thought as she smiled herself, she wasn’t so worried anymore.

—

“I don’t usually get visitors,” the man on the table said so softly. Hinami, even with her enhances hearing, had to strain to hear him. “I apologise for not getting up. I’m a little tied up.”

It was delivered as though it was a lame joke, but Hinami couldn’t find it in her to laugh. 

“Are you a bad man?” she asked after a moment. “Is that why you’re here?”

“I didn’t eat humans,” the man told her weakly. “I ate other ghouls.” He hadn’t really answered her question, but she realised his meaning nonetheless.

“Papa said that cannibalism is bad,” Hinami said quietly and averted her gaze. She knew she shouldn’t be afraid of the man – he had clearly been down there for years, was starved and restrained on top of that – but he just told her that he used to eat their kind for sustenance. Her father had warned her about kakujas. “He said it makes you go crazy.”

“Your papa is right,” the man laughed, then coughed. 

Hinami watched as the man struggled to regain his breath, and approached the table slowly. 

“It’ll be okay,” she murmured as she took a tentative seat in the only chair in the room. It was the only other piece of furniture besides the table. 

She didn’t really know that it would be okay – considering her own situation, it probably wouldn’t be – but her mother never told her that there was something to be worried about whenever Hinami was sick. Hinami wasn’t going to do it to this man, as bad as he looked.

“Thank you,” he replied gravely and lowered his head to the table once more with a sigh. “I can’t remember the last time I talked this much. I haven’t had company in a while.” 

“How long have you been down here?” Hinami asked. “They didn’t tell me much before putting me in here.”

“I’m surprised they did at all, actually,” the man admitted. “I’ve been here a long time. I’m not sure exactly, but it must be… what year is it?”

Hinami told him, and watched him exhale as though the world was resting on his back.

“It’s been eight years,” he muttered. Hinami thought he was on the verge of tears. “My children aren’t children anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” she told him hopelessly. It wasn’t as though she could give him the last eight years back, but her own grief at the possibility of being stuck down there for nearly a decade was painful enough. 

“It’s okay,” he said him return. “I taught them as much as I could, so I know they’re looking after each other now.”

“I’ve always wished I had a brother,” Hinami admitted with a small smile. “A big brother, I think. Since Papa couldn’t be around all the time.”

“I had a girl first, and then a boy. He should be around your age, actually,” the man said. “I don’t remember your name. I’m sorry.”

Hinami look at him worriedly. “I never gave you my name. I’m Fueguchi Hinami.”

“Kirishima Arata,” the man replied with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Hinami.”


End file.
